Nov 15, 2010

I love starting my morning with a bowl of oatmeal, it's heart healthy comfort food in a bowl. I eat a lot of oatmeal because high cholesterol runs in the family and oatmeal is known for reducing cholesterol. In addition, it's high in fiber, a perfect way to fuel my morning.

My perfect bowl of oatmeal is all about the toppings. I love to add a combination of flavors and textures such as dried fruit, granola, nuts, cinnamon, or whatever I'm in the mood for that day. I also like to switch things up because I'm not the type of person to eat the same thing every day, so it may be pumpkin spiced oatmeal one morning, brown sugar and walnuts the next.

When I'm not enjoying my oatmeal hot, I usually make avena, which is a delicious oatmeal smoothie, an easy on-the-go breakfast. I'm thinking a cinnamon spiced apple avena may be tomorrow's breakfast! Or what about no-cook pumpkin overnight oats in a jar... yum.

Cook oatmeal in water according to package directions. Pour cooked oatmeal in a bowl and top with apple butter, granola, cinnamon. You can add a little skim milk if you like your oatmeal thinner. Enjoy!

As the oatmeal begins cooking I immediately put about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries in the empty cereal bowl. Then pour the finished hot oatmeal into the bowl and stir. In about a minute the frozen berries warm up and perfectly cools down the hot oatmeal. The blueberries have a wonderful texture not mushy too. The sweet blueberries are plenty, therefore no added sweetner. Oatmeal and blueberries are superfoods so I know my day is off to a good start!

Hi Gina, I found your site a couple of weeks ago and your recipes have made staying on plan soooo much easier for me. Thank you!!!

I personally love steel cut oats, I like the chewier texture of it. I like mixing it with applesauce, cinnamon and a little bit of raisins or dried cranberries. I will definitely be trying your apple butter recipe. Looks delicious!

I also like adding mashed banana, peanut butter, and walnuts to my oatmeal. Very satifying and no in between meal hunger pains, yay. Love the satisfying feeling from protein, fruit and carbs all in one dish.

This website is the reason Weight Watchers works for me. I've been using it almost exclusively for 4 months, rarely repeating a recipe. I still haven't hit a recipe the family hasn't loved. Breakfast, soups for lunch, and a healthy dinner make WW fairly easy. I've told so many people about the website in combination with WW, and they've signed up. My husband also thinks I'm Amish or Martha Stewart. Thanks - Jessica